Matt Damon: Fatherhood taught me girls are smarter

Video: Fifteen years after writing and starring in the Oscar-winning film “Good Will Hunting,” Matt Damon is both writer and star of another movie, “Promised Land,” this time with actor John Krasinski. He chats with TODAY’s Matt Lauer about the project.

Matt Damon is outnumbered.

The father of four girls, he says being the only man in the house has been a learning experience.

"I never expected to be surrounded by girls, but it’s great. ...You never know which way life’s going to take you," Damon told TODAY.com in a backstage interview. "I’m learning so much, not the least of which is how much smarter girls are. I operated under the assumption that us guys had a chance, but I realized when I was completely wrapped around my 2-year-old’s finger, and she knew it. If they can do that to us at 2 years old, when they’re fully grown we really don’t stand a chance."

Damon, 42, visited TODAY to talk about his new movie, "Promised Land," and also got roped into offering some holiday etiquette advice. TODAY.com talked to the charming, down-to-earth (and, ahem, smokin' hot, according to this editor's opinion) Damon in Studio 1A between his appearances.

When he's not feeling outsmarted by his toddler, Damon told TODAY.com that parenthood has a way of making him feel like the Grinch in "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" -- but in a good way. "In the end when his heart grows five sizes, that’s what [becoming a father] felt like. It was like everything expanded in a way that I didn’t know was possible. And it was instant."

What scared him about having kids? Bodily fluids. As any parent knows, the baby years mean being hands-on with a variety of icky substances. "I probably worried more about changing diapers and bodily fluids and all that before I became a father," Damon said. "The reality is that once it’s your kid it’s not a big deal at all."